The city of Miami wants to toughen sanctions against animal cruelty with an increase of over $2,000 in fines and new provisions regarding pet care.
The initiative arises after several episodes of cruelty that sparked outrage among residents, including the rescue of an emaciated dog that had been abandoned on the balcony of a luxury building for days.
The proposals, led by Commissioner Damian Pardo, will be submitted for consideration by the Miami Commission next Thursday, according to an update from WLRN this Monday.
The objective is to update the municipal ordinances related to animal protection, increase economic penalties for certain violations, and strengthen the tools available to act against those who violate the rules.
The fines have not increased yet. The changes will need to be approved by the Miami Commission before becoming applicable municipal regulations.
Pardo explained that the initiative directly responds to recent cases of mistreatment that have gained public attention, as well as to the reports that his office receives from residents concerned about animal safety.
"We frequently receive emails from residents reporting individuals who throw dogs into the water and a general increase in recent cases of animal cruelty. We want to seek higher fines and greater restrictions, if possible," stated the commissioner to WLRN.
The complaints mentioned by Pardo reflect the concerns of the residents, although official figures have not been released to determine how many incidents of that kind have been confirmed by the authorities.
Among the events that inspired the proposal is the case of a puppy that was left abandoned for several days on the balcony of an apartment in a high-rise building in Miami.
In September, a video shared on social media showed the animal visibly malnourished and lying on the balcony floor, prompting a mobilization of neighbors and animal rights advocates.
The puppy was left exposed to the rain and, according to reports, lacked sufficient food, water, and proper hygienic conditions.
The images generated more than 100 reports to the authorities within a few hours, leading police officers and Miami-Dade Animal Services personnel to intervene.
Finally, the dog was rescued from the balcony of an apartment at ParkLine Miami and its owner ended up arrested.
The detained individual was identified as Kevin Alexander Benjamin, 27 years old, charged with animal cruelty with intent to injure or kill, a third-degree felony in Florida.
The animal was placed in specialized care after being found in conditions that sparked a strong public reaction.
The case highlighted the importance of citizen reports in detecting alleged abuses that occur within private properties and that may go unnoticed for days.
The measures currently being considered in Miami aim to strengthen the capacity to respond to such situations.
The agenda of the Municipal Commission for October 22 includes three proposals related to animal protection, identified as FR.4, FR.5, and FR.6.
The first involves modifying Chapter 6 of the Miami City Code to establish stricter civil penalties for certain animal cruelty violations and authorize their enforcement by animal control officials, in accordance with the powers provided by law.
The second proposal suggests updating the fines for violations of municipal animal welfare regulations and incorporating additional infractions.
The third focuses on reviewing the provisions related to the use of leashes and the control of domestic animals on public and private properties, as well as updating legal definitions to align them with the standards of Miami-Dade and Florida.
Therefore, the changes are not limited to punishing serious episodes of cruelty. They also aim to clarify the obligations of pet owners and facilitate the enforcement of animal protection regulations.
However, the final amounts for each new fine have not yet been publicly announced nor all the specific cases to which they would apply.
The figure of over 2,000 dollars corresponds to the proposed increase in the sanctions, not necessarily to the final amount that anyone who commits an offense would pay.
The municipal proposal is based on recent changes in state legislation.
The Florida law HB 559, passed in 2026 and effective since October 1, expanded the legal tools to penalize certain acts of animal cruelty and increased the limits of the civil penalties that local authorities can impose.
The regulation also strengthened provisions related to cruelty committed in the presence of minors, animal fights, and public information about individuals responsible for certain acts of abuse.
Among its changes is the update of the state database of offenders for animal cruelty, managed by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).
This legal framework allows municipal governments to review their own ordinances, although each local modification must follow the corresponding approval procedure.
In the case of Miami, it will be the City Commission that decides this Thursday whether to move forward with the proposed initiatives.
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